Gas-inflated airship



Aug. 2, 1927. ,637,774

K. HURTTLE GAS INFLA'IED AIRSHIP Filed Jan.30. 1926 in/@27 2)" I 272/ How/ Patented Aug.- 2, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL E'O'BTTLE, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LU'FTSCHTFFBAU ZEPPELIN GESELL- scm'r BESCHRANKTER HAITUNG, OF FBIEDBICHSHAFEN, GERMANY-- ans-mrnarnn Arnsmr.

Application filed January 80, 1926, Serial No. 84,854, and in Germany February 4, 1925.

My invention relates to gas-inflated airships and more especially to those of the rigid type. Such airships have a shapegiving hull skeleton over which the outer cover .is stretched. The space inside is subdivided into compartments into which gas cells are inserted. Due to the stream line shape of the hull the end compartments are com arativel'y small, so small that it is unadvisable to insert a gas cell which together with its fixtures, valves, sleeves and so on would be so heavy that there would result additional weight instead of additional lift. a My invention improves these circumstances by inserting gas cells without valves and sleeves and by connecting such cells to neighboring bigger cells having valves and sleeves. By this arran ement, I am able to utilize for inflation, re atively small spaces such as the tip ends of the structure, and also the space inside of the fins withoutmaterially adding to the weight of the entire shfitp, but thereby gaining considerably in li I prefer to arrange the sleeves which connect a gas cell without valves to one with valves sufliciently high so that the normal gas level will always extend below these sleeves. This will insure a regular state-of inflation in the smaller cell.

Having given a general description of my invention, I now want to describe it more in detail referring to the drawings which represent an example embodying my invention.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the stern of an airship. Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2.2 of Fig. 1.,

The drawings illustrate the rear portion of a ship and show the hullin a diagram matical' way only. Here there is illustrated a small gas cell 1 at the extreme stern. This may be controlled in any usual manner and an automatic valve 5. In the two side and top fins 10 are located additional gas cells 7. These, like the cell 1, are not provided with valves, but have flues 8 connecting them with the cell 3. It may be noted that the flues 8 and the flue 12 which connect the cell 3 with the smaller cells are all located at points at least as high as the middle of cell 3. As cell 3 under normal conditions is "always maintained at least half full of gas, these connections are above the bottom of the normal gas level.

I do not want to limit myself to the details described or shown in the drawings, as

many variations will occur to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is :x

1. An airship. comprising a rigid hull, a plurality of individual gas cells inserted into said hull, two adjacent gas cells having a horizontal flue connecting them together, said flue constituting the sole means of communication to the interior of one of the two adjacent gas cells, the other gas cell having gas inlet and outlet fixtures.

2. An airship comprising a rigid hull, a

lurality of individual as cells inserted mto said hull, a substantiifily horizontal flue connecting two adjacent ones of said gas cells, said two gas cells having common gas inlet and outlet fixtures.

3. An airship comprising a rigid hull, a plurality of individual gas cells inserted 1nto said hull, two adjacent gas cells having .a horizontal flue connecting them together,

said flue constituting the sole means of communication to the interior of one ofthe two adjacent gas cells, the other gas cell having gas inlet and outlet fixtures, said flue also being situated above'the normal high gas level.

4. An airship comprising a rigid hull, a

plurality of individual gas cells inserted into said hull, a fin rigidly attached to said hull,

a gas cell inserted in said fin, and a flue connecting said gas cell in said fin with one of said gas cells in said hull.

5. An airship comprising a rigid hull, a plurality of individual gas cells inserted into said hull, one of said gas cells being profided with'conventional gas inlet and gas outlet fixtures, a second one of said gas cells being without such fixtures, a fin rigidly attached to said hull,ua gas cell inserted in said fin, said latter gas cell being without conventional gas inlet and gas outlet fixing said gas cell in said fin with said first 10 gas cell having the fixtures, both said flues being situated above the normal high gas level.

KARL HURTTLE. 

